Leisure travellers from the United States who had been waiting for China to reopen must be disappointed to learn that the number of direct flights between the US and China barely changed from what’s available in 2022, which keeps the airfares as expensive as in 2022. For instance, a return ticket from San Francisco to Beijing that could be had for $1,000 prior to the pandemic now costs triple or quadruple that amount if you can get one at all.
But why, you ask. Well, the answer is very simple: the war in Ukraine.
Soon after the war broke out on February 24, 2022, Russia banned airlines from the United States from overflights, following the move by the U.S. to bar Russian flights in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the meantime, Chinese airlines are not affected by the Russian ban. In other words, “this puts U.S. airlines at a competitive disadvantage relative to airlines from other countries willing to do business with Russia,” according to a letter recently sent by some US senators to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. U.S. air carriers that have much at stake including American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, all support this argument. Currently, US carriers flying to China have to stop over South Korea.
Americans, and Canadians as well, may find it necessary to hold off their China leisure trips until after this mess is sorted out. Guests who have paid deposits for their 2023 Laurus Travel China tours are allowed to postpone their travels without penalty before moderately prices airfares return.
